The Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes have finally reached the next stage. After hearing several sales pitches, the 26-year-old outfielder is fielding official offers from interested teams. Will the New York Yankees retain their slugger, or will he head elsewhere?
Soto made a significant impact on the Bombers in 2024. He was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career, won his fifth Silver Slugger Award and finished third in American League MVP Award voting.
He posted a .989 OPS with 41 home runs, 31 doubles, 109 RBI and 128 runs scored in 157 games. Soto was also a huge reason why the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. In 14 postseason games, the slugger hit .327/.469/.633 with four homers, nine RBI and 12 runs scored.
Soto is a generational talent. Combine that with his age and it's no surprise he'll command a contract in the $600 million range. But exactly how much will he get and who will he play for? Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith joined the long line of predictions by sharing thoughts on an episode of his "At The Letters" podcast.
"My final Soto projection, just so it's here for the record: $675 (million) over 15 (years) to the Mets on December 15," he said.
While Shohei Ohtani signed for $700 million last winter, this is not a number we see often in free agency. The Mets have also been linked to Soto for months, and this is the first real bidding war they've engaged in with the Yankees since Steve Cohen bought the team in 2020.
Even though the Mets are viewed as the "clear-cut favorite" by some baseball executives, watching him go from the Bronx to Queens would flip the baseball world on its head. The Yankees don't seem to be going down without a fight, though, as they've reportedly increased their initial offer for the left-handed slugger.
It'll be fascinating to watch this all play out, which is likely to happen over the next week or so leading up to the Winter Meetings.
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